So yesterday, did all my checks, loaded up the wagon, took a 15 minute break before heading out and then realised the wagon won’t start. Had to wait 45 minutes for a mechanic to come and jump start. During this 45 minutes I was twiddling my thumbs doing naff all. Should the tacho be on break or other work?
Break. Why couldn’t you use it? You were twiddling your thumbs 
. Unless you get deducted all break periods on your tacho in which case other work if you want.
Unless you’re working to RT(WT)R working time it doesn’t matter as you’ve not done any driving.
Break, work or (provided you have an idea how long you’ll be waiting) POA. It rather depends on whether you are paid while on Break, hourly paid or salaried/day rate. Also depends on how the company plans your work (and their/your attitude to them getting their pound of flesh…).
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Just wondering how you completed your daily checks without starting the engine ?
Punchy Dan:
Just wondering how you completed your daily checks without starting the engine ?
Is that a quote from the “ministry book of questions”?
You can’t start your shift then take a break with out driving at least 1 min otherwise break still adds counts as your daily rest. Anyway how do you do your check without 1st starting your truck
To load the wagon, I had to move it from parked onto the loading bay, it started fine. Then had to move it from the bay to parked and it was fine again. 15 minute break was more for WTD than driving time. I do multi drop, and yesterday’s route was only like 2 hours driving all in all anyway.
You cannot use a break taken before you drive you vehicle to count towerads a driving break.
So say if you took 15 minutes break before you had done any driving then drive for 4h30 then took a 30 min break and carried on you’d be breaking the law as you will of only had 30 mins driving break overall as the 15 won’t count towards it.
xichrisxi:
You cannot use a break taken before you drive you vehicle to count towerads a driving break.
So say if you took 15 minutes break before you had done any driving then drive for 4h30 then took a 30 min break and carried on you’d be breaking the law as you will of only had 30 mins driving break overall as the 15 won’t count towards it.
No but he can still use it instead of other work.
edd1974:
You can’t start your shift then take a break with out driving at least 1 min otherwise break still adds counts as your daily rest. Anyway how do you do your check without 1st starting your truck
Agree that without doing a bit of driving first it won’t go towards a drive time reset, but the bit about it being part of the previous daily rest isn’t right. His daily rest ended when he entered the tacho and put it on other work.
Whether it qualifies as a break between driving periods is right enough if he’s not yet turned a wheel. Qualifies for wtd though if he’s started work.
People over think it. Some of my most relaxing breaks were sitting on a quiet bay lying on the bunk listening to the radio .
TiredAndEmotional:
xichrisxi:
You cannot use a break taken before you drive you vehicle to count towerads a driving break.
So say if you took 15 minutes break before you had done any driving then drive for 4h30 then took a 30 min break and carried on you’d be breaking the law as you will of only had 30 mins driving break overall as the 15 won’t count towards it.No but he can still use it instead of other work.
Indeed he can.
cufcmike:
To load the wagon, I had to move it from parked onto the loading bay, it started fine. Then had to move it from the bay to parked and it was fine again. 15 minute break was more for WTD than driving time. I do multi drop, and yesterday’s route was only like 2 hours driving all in all anyway.
If you’ve already driven the motor for over a minute and talking from point of view of drive time reset, what I used to do was this:-
Take this scenario
I had driven the motor across the yard, yoked up and the trailer was broken. I had a drive that was say just about 4.5 hours ahead of me. Mm, a bit tight. If I was sat on my backside for an hour waiting for a spannerist to fix it, I’d take say, 40 mins of break, then tactically put it on other work for the last 20 mins. That way when up the road, if I was running tight on time I’d only have to take 30 mins break to reset my drive time
If I was really bushed after 4.5 hours driving I’d take more, but reality was even though I put it on “other work” for the last 20 mins before leaving the yard, I was well rested as probably sipping coffee reading a magazine 
.
Only did this when it suited me though, say I needed to get back home for something. I used to stick it on break whenever I was twiddling thumbs and not doing any work, no matter where I was even if it only lasted five mins. But I wasnt deducted breaks though to be fair.
Settle a debate, on trucknet? 
Freight Dog:
I had driven the motor across the yard, yoked up and the trailer was broken. I had a drive that was say just about 4.5 hours ahead of me. Mm, a bit tight. If I was sat on my backside for an hour waiting for a spannerist to fix it, I’d take say, 40 mins of break, then tactically put it on other work for the last 20 mins. That way when up the road, if I was running tight on time I’d only have to take 30 mins break to reset my drive time
Ha ha, I used to do that. I had a run from Northampton to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I’d drive 5 minutes to Brackmills, have a 15 whilst loading, then 4 1/4 hours to Newcastle, have a 30 whilst tipping, then run back for 4 1/4 to Northampton. I was on job and finish so it worked in my favour. I always liked that it was perfectly legal, but felt as if it should be illegal.